come off

British  

verb

1. (also preposition) to fall (from), losing one's balance

2. to become detached or be capable of being detached

3. (preposition) to be removed from (a price, tax, etc)

   will anything come off income tax in the budget?

4. (copula) to emerge from or as if from a trial or contest

   he came off the winner

5. informal to take place or happen

6. informal to have the intended effect; succeed

   his jokes did not come off

7. slang to have an orgasm

8. informal stop trying to fool me!

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come off Idioms  

1. Happen, occur, as in The trip came off on schedule . [Early 1800s]

2. Acquit oneself, reach the end. This usage always includes a modifier, as in Whenever challenged he comes off badly , or This model is doomed to come off second-best . [Mid-1600s]

3. Succeed, as in Our dinner party really came off . [Mid-1800s]

4. See come off it .

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

come off

Everyone involved really wanted to come off as The Good Guys.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

The company plans to eventually return all excess cash to shareholders after the curbs come off in December.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Fund managers also hold relatively low levels of cash and Treasury bills in their portfolios, although those levels have come off the lows seen a month ago.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

First, when Orange Lutheran’s punter pinned Basha inside its own three-yard line, Rhoa was the first to come off the sidelines and get excited for his teammate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

He didn’t want to come off as lazy when everyone else was already ready for the day.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Related Words

• go off
• go over
• pan out